Here’s why you should never take “almost no overtime” at face value when job hunting in Japan

Unless your definition of “almost none” is “enough to get a side job.” Then go right ahead.

How large of a quantity can something be and still be called “almost none?” Most people would say that depends on the thing and situation in question. For example, if there are two timber wolves living in an entire forest, we could probably say there are almost no wolves there. We probably wouldn’t describe the lupine population the same way, though, if it was in your living room.

Still, that “almost” part is tricky, since it tacitly acknowledges that there is some amount. If you’re applying for a job and the company says there’s “almost no overtime” required, that means the number of overtime hours has to be more than zero. Since most people don’t like having to work overtime, recruiters are naturally going to try to stretch that leeway as far as they can, but even still, one Japanese company’s definition of “almost no overtime” is taking the phrase to a ridiculously inaccurate degree.

While looking through job postings, Japanese Twitter user @nachi_yanase found this company’s, which boasts:

Almost no overtime.

Required monthly overtime is only approximately 35 hours, so you can go home at just about the regular time your shift is scheduled to finish.

Yes, you read correctly: 35 hoursa month. Assuming a 20-business day month, that works out to an hour and 45 minutes of extra work every day. If you’re scheduled for an eight-hour shift, it’s equivalent to more than an extra day’s worth of work every week. With 35 hours a month, you could even start a second, part-time job.

Oh, and white-collar workers in Japan generally don’t get paid for overtime.

The company is even bold enough to provide this information at the top of its list of what makes the job attractive, boasting that “You’ll have time to pick up your kids from school or take classes related to your interests after work.”

“Hold up,” @nachi_yanase pleaded along with tweeting the photo, “I’m really not following what you’re saying.” Several of his followers chimed in voicing their agreement with his exasperation.

Unfortunately, this sort of discrepancy in how people applying for jobs and companies offering them define “almost no overtime” happens often here. Back in my pre-RocketNew24 days, I was offered a job by a Japanese company that’s one of the largest in its industry. When I asked my two interviewers how much overtime I could expect, one told me, “Basically, our company doesn’t require overtime,” and the second smiled and chimed in with “It would only be two or three hours a day.”

Thankfully, in both my case and @nachi_yanase’s, the companies were considerate enough to give us the specific data we needed to make our decisions. Still, let this be a lesson: If you’re applying for a job in Japan, when the subject of working hours comes up, make sure you get some numerical data before you sign that contract.